Guilderland gymnasts trade risk for reward

At ease: Dressed up in an assortment of pink gear, some Guilderland gymnasts await their turn on the balance beam last Friday at Lynnwood Elementary during the “Think Pink” meet against Saratoga. Overall team scores weren’t recorded.

The Enterprise — Jordan J. Michael

Anticipating her leapto the higher bar is Guilderland gymnast Rachel Drislane during her uneven bars routine at Lynnwood Elementary last Friday. The “Think Pink” meet raised $540 to fight breast cancer, and all the gymnasts from Guilderland and Saratoga were dressed up, head to toe, in different shades of pink. Drislane scored a 4.90 on uneven bars.

The Enterprise — Jordan J. Michael

Get the point?Isabelle Bruno extends her right leg during her balance-beam routine for Guilderland last Friday in a meet against Saratoga. Bruno scored a 7.50 on the balance beam.

The Enterprise — Jordan J. Michael

Sky high:Guilderland gymnast Riley McCutcheon gets some air last Friday during her balance- beam routine at Lynnwood Elementary. The “Think Pink” meet raised money for breast cancer research. McCutcheon scored a 7.70 on the balance beam.

The Enterprise — Jordan J. Michael

Head rush:Planting her hands on the vault horse while upside down is Guilderland’s Riley McCutcheon, who was the first Dutch gymnast to hit the vault last Friday during a meet against Saratoga. McCutcheon scored a 7.40 on the vault, and had an overall score of 18.50.

GUILDERLAND — Flipping and flying through the air has its risks, but, for a gymnast, landing on two feet reaps a greater reward.

Amid a sea of different shades of pink for its annual “Think Pink” meet that raises money to fight breast cancer, the Guilderland gymnasts landed a vast majority of their tricks last Friday at Lynnwood Elementary.

There were pink ribbons, pink outfits, pink make-up — and pink hair dye worn by Assistant Coach Steve Swider. When a Guilderland gymnast flipped through the air, it was like a blurred cloud of cotton candy, and when another rotated elegantly on the balance beam, it was like watching a flamingo.

“All gymnasts have to be risk-takers; we wouldn’t be doing it otherwise,” said Guilderland junior Naomi Downes, who had the best Dutch score (7.70) on the uneven bars. “For me, it’s mostly about having fun.”

Ninth-grader Emma Drislane does a difficult vault called the Yurchenko, named after a Soviet gymnast, pulling a backhand spring onto the springboard. Drislane says that fear comes with being a gymnast.

“In the end, everything pays off,” she added. “You just have to trust yourself and your coaches.”

The Guilderland coaches — Head Coach Brenda Goodnight and Swider — would never make a gymnast do tricks she wasn’t comfortable with, Drislane said.

However, that doesn’t mean that the Dutch gymnasts don’t push some limits.

“It’s a combination of strength, balance, and mind,” said Downes, a member of the Guilderland team since seventh grade. “Everyone gets nervous, I think. When that happens to me, I take a deep breath and visualize what I’m going to do.”

Last Friday was Drislane’s first competition of the season; she was recovering from a broken toe. Last year, Drislane missed three to four months after breaking her right ankle on a backwards tuck, also spraining her left ankle at the same time.

“Gymnastics is definitely dangerous, but I like the risk,” said Drislane. “There’s nerves, a lot of nerves, but you have to overcome the fear. You have to be safe with your skill set, only doing what you can do.”

Downes said she broke her finger once, but that’s been her only broken bone. More than anything, her muscles get pulled, she said.

“I’m a lot better than I used to be,” said Downes, who started gymnastics at age 9. “I had no idea what I was doing when I started, but it seemed like fun.”

Drislane said that, when she was really young, she would always be hanging upside down. Her mother, Melissa Drislane, signed her up for a gymnastics class.

“I liked to watch television upside down,” she said.

Last Friday, Drislane completed her first “hiccup,” which is a release move from the low bar to the high bar on the uneven bars. Her routine had a start value of 9.7, but she finished with a 7.55.

“Your start value depends on your skills,” said Drislane. “I’m pretty average for my age, but I’m trying to get as far as I physically can.”

Downes’s favorite event is the balance beam, and it was the highest score (8.45) she posted last Friday. “You can dance, tumble, and jump on it,” she said.

Guilderland raised $540 for breast cancer research, at the annual event, for which they charged admission.

Drislane said that her grandmother, Joann, battled the disease, and beat it. Luckily, Downes said, she doesn’t know anyone who had to fight cancer.

Here are Guilderland’s results from last Friday’s meet against Saratoga: